New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-30
PRISONERS OF POVERTY.
HoMEN WlaE.woRKERs. THEIR TRADES
AND THEIR LIVES
ny HFIEN CAMPBELL.
AMONo THE SHOP GIRLS.

Why this army of women many thousand strong,
a standing behind counters, ovcrworl1ed and TIN
berpaid the average duration Of life among them
IA class lcsscning every year, is qunsuioh WIN
which. to-day, We deal only indirectly ~ Is
suflcdeut for the present TO state than inc ro.,Iii
stores Of well-nigh every order, though cheny 'h'
Hrv.roods retail trade, have found their quicRncss
hnd antness to learn, the honesty and general
snithfulness of women, and their chearnosS' e'
uentia,s IN their work, and that this communion
bf oualities-chcopness dominating ali-pas So
khem permanent place In the moderh 'y''.n. ~
trade tour among many OF oi'o i"is0
lishments confirmed the statement maoo W e
n,overs An smaller ones, the summary being given
= a.. v,ras ~ r. manager Of Of the largest
tehai, houses 30 be found in the United Sta'es
,sWs aonx want men," he said. "We wouidho
hov. them even IL they came at the Same price,
Of course cheapnoss has something to DO "iph IT,
and will have, but for my part give me "o'n"''
10 doal with every time Now there's an nius''".
Hon over at that hat counter. We were shoro Oh
Go.as ho-dav md had to send for three girls
that had applied for places but werc green-dldht
Know tho business. 1t didn't take them ten MIN
htes to get the hang Of doing things and thcre
they are. and you'd never know which was olo
Ind which was now hand. OF course they don't
know all about qualities and so on. bub the heod
bf tho department looks o,tt for THAI. No. give
me women every time I've been MANAGER
thirteen years. and wc never had but -FOUR ais
honest Girls and views had to discharge over
Sortv bovs In the same time Boys smoke and
loao al cards. and do q hundred things that women
hon,t. and they get worse instead OF better
10 In for women.'
allow good Is their chance OF promotion ?"
'sWe never lose sight Of woman that shows
my business capacity, but Of course that's only as
! rule In heads Of departments. saleswoman
kets about the same right along. Twothirds OF
The girls here are public school girls and live Mt
hone. You SEQ that makes things pretty easy
Tor the family pool their earnings
Ind they dress we'll and live well
Me don't take from the poorer class at all.
these girls earn from 81 30 to So week. few
get $40 and they're mob likely to do better IMAM
that Forty dollars a month is fortune to
woman. A man must have his httle nins' you
know Women manages better"
ar they are really worth so much to YOU why
Rant YOU give better pay? What chance mas
kirl to save anything. unless She lives at home =
IaWe give az high pay as anybody, and we
non't give more because for every girl here ohere
he dozen waiting to take her place AS TO saw
Ing abe doesn't want to save. There isn't girl
mere that doesn't expect to marry before long and
she nuts what she makes on her back because
Follow naturally goes for the best looking ana the
best dressed girl That's the woman question as
I've figured it out. and you'll find 10 The same
Everywhere"
Practically Ke was right, Tor the report though
varying slightly, summed up as substantially the
name. Descending a grade. it was found that
Even in the second and third rate stores the sys
tenn OF fines Tor any damage soon taught the girls
carefulness, and that while few were discharged
iOrifU
faithfully and well.
ST dare say they're put upon said the manager
Or one Of the cheaper establishments. "1hey're
sassy enough, good many Of them, and some OF
the better ones suffer for their goings on. But
they amt bad set-not half, and these women
that come in complaining that they amt well
treated nine times out Of ten it's their own airs
that brought it on It's q shopgirl's interest 20
behave herself and satisfy customers, and She's
more apt to do it than not. according 10 my ex-
perience.'
'sThey'd drive q man clean out Of his mind
said another. "The tricks OF girls IRE beyond
telling If it wasn't for fines there wouldn't one
in twenty be here on time, and the same way
with dozen other things. But they learn quick
and they turn in anywhere where they're wanted
They make the best kind OF clerks, after ALL
'"Do YOU give them extra pay for over hours
N during the busy seasonp'
"Not much, We keep them on most Of them.
right through the dull one. Why Shouldn't they
balance things for us when the busy time comes ?
Turn about's fair play
"A girl who had been sent into the Office for
some purpose shook her head slightly as she heard
the words and il was this Girl who. a dav or two
later gave her view Of the situation. The talk
went on in the pretty, home like parlors or a
small '"Homc7 on the West Side, whore rules arc
few and the atmosphere Of the place so CHEEKY
that while it is intended only for those out OF
work it is constantly besieged with requests 10
enlarge its borders and make room FOR more. Half
dozen other girls were near three from other
stores ono from a satisfactory, one an artificial
Aower-maber who had been shopgirl.
"Whcn began" said the first, father was
alive md I used what I earned just for dressing
myself We were up at Morrfsania and / came
down every day. was in the worsted and fancy
DEPARTMENT at D---'s. and had such good eye
for matching and choosing that they seemed to
think everything Of me. But then father fell sick
He was painter and had painters collie awfuly
and at last paralysis. Then he died finally and
left mother and me. and she's in slow consumption
and can't do much. i earned 81 week because
I'd learned fancy work and did some things even
fngs for the store, and we should have got along
very well We'd had to move out little farther
10 the place mother was born in, because rent was
cheaper and she could never stand the city. But
this is the way it worked. I have to be at the
store at o'clock The train that leaves home
ut gets me to the store two minutes after 8, but
though Eve explained this 10 the manager he says
I've got to be at the store at 8, and so, summer
and winter have TO take the train al half past
6 and wait till doors are open. It's the same way
at night. The store closes at and If could
leave then / could catch an express train that
would get me home at z. The rules are that
must stop five minutes TO help the girls cover up
The goods. and that just binders my getting the
brain till after 2, SO that am not home till g."
looked at the girl more attentively She was
colorless and emaciated and. when not excited by
speaking, languid and heavy.